July 2019 Newsletter

Video: Create Phase Bars

Check out the video below to see how to create “Phase Bars” in Milestones Professional.

With these methods, you can make what looks like a single bar with multiple colors on it for different phases.

Be sure to Subscribe to our Youtube Channel for all the latest and greatest Milestones software videos!

Upgrade to Milestones Professional 2019

Click here to Upgrade to Milestones Professional 2019 for only $149 (if you already own any version of Milestones Professional). To see what has changed, check out our “What’s New in Milestones Professional 2019” page.

Upgrade to Milestones Simplicity 2019

Click here to Upgrade to Milestones Simplicity 2019 for only $55 (if you already own any version of Milestones Simplicity). To see what has changed, check out our “What’s New in Milestones Simplicity 2019” page.

July 2019 Tips and Tricks

For these and more, view Tips and Tricks for July 2019

Unable to change task row heights
I am unable to adjust row height by dragging with the mouse anymore. This problem just appeared and occurs in every milestones file.

Comment symbols
How are Milestones’ Comment symbols generally used in a schedule?

Copy a legend from one schedule to another
I have a perfect legend on one of my schedules. Now I want to copy it to another schedule.

DataGraph on last page only
Is it possible to print the DataGraph only on the last page, as opposed to every page?

Two end date columns
I would like to show two end dates and have the dates appear in the End Date SmartColumn. Right now when I have two End Date SmartColumns if I change one the other one gets updated. One of the date columns will show Expected Completion Date ECD and the other will show Due Date.

Unhide the Legend
I hid the legend and now I need to put it back on the schedule. After I hide the legend, how do I get it to reappear?

Use a bitmap graphic as a symbol
I have an image bitmap of a company symbol that I would like to use as a Milestones symbol. How can I do this?

Use only certain Microsoft Project tasks on a Milestones Integrated Master Schedule (IMS)
Is it possible to only use certain pieces within an Integrated Master Schedule (IMS) file to be viewed in a Milestone Professional template?

Vertical link to a symbol on the same task bar
Do you know how you can link to task within the same task bar? I would like to create a vertical link between two symbols on the same row.

For these and more, view Tips and Tricks for July 2019

Join the Milestones Professional Users LinkedIn Group

For anyone interested, there’s a free Milestones Professional user group on LinkedIn you can join to share best practices, network with other users, and maybe learn some tips along the way from other experienced Milestones users. To join, head over to the following website and click Join: https://www.linkedin.com/groups?home=&gid=6796817
Note: This user group is an unofficial group run by Milestones software users, and is not managed by KIDASA Software, Inc. A free LinkedIn account is required to join the group.

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June 2019 Newsletter

Video: Copy Between Schedules

Check out the video below to see how to copy various objects between two Milestones Professional schedules.

Using this method, you can borrow certain things from other schedules, and even copy entire task rows.

Note: You will need first need to export your Primavera file as an XML file before you can refresh from that XML file.

Be sure to Subscribe to our Youtube Channel for all the latest and greatest Milestones software videos!

Upgrade to Milestones Professional 2019

Click here to Upgrade to Milestones Professional 2019 for only $149 (if you already own any version of Milestones Professional). To see what has changed, check out our “What’s New in Milestones Professional 2019” page.

Upgrade to Milestones Simplicity 2019

Click here to Upgrade to Milestones Simplicity 2019 for only $55 (if you already own any version of Milestones Simplicity). To see what has changed, check out our “What’s New in Milestones Simplicity 2019” page.

June 2019 Tips and Tricks

For these and more, view Tips and Tricks for June 2019

Picture disappears
I added a picture to my schedule. However, as soon as I add the picture it disappears before I have a chance to re-size it.

Download a past version
I need to download version 2015. Where can I find it on your website?

Above and below the bar symbols
How do I add a downward pointing triangle, arrow or other symbol to the toolbox so that when added, it adds the milestone below or above or below the bar? I want to have a bar with several milestones above it but may also want to show milestones below the bar.

Appendix instead of Page
Can Milestones display the page numbering other than with the word “Page”? When I include a Milestones schedule in my report, it is in the appendix. Thus, I would like the pagination to say “Appendix” instead of “Page.”

After-status colors
Is it possible to have the symbols and bars change automatically when the status is complete? I want to show a circle when a task is incomplete and have it change to a diamond when it’s complete.

Calculate BCWS using baseline duration
When calculating BCWS as the budget column multiplied by percent duration to the current date, can I use percent duration of baseline to the current date?

Change the names of the months
How can I change the default name of each month as it appears in the date heading?

Choose default symbols and bar to use for summary tasks
I want to change the symbols used for the summary bars. How do I do this?

For these and more, view Tips and Tricks for June 2019

Join the Milestones Professional Users LinkedIn Group

For anyone interested, there’s a free Milestones Professional user group on LinkedIn you can join to share best practices, network with other users, and maybe learn some tips along the way from other experienced Milestones users. To join, head over to the following website and click Join: https://www.linkedin.com/groups?home=&gid=6796817
Note: This user group is an unofficial group run by Milestones software users, and is not managed by KIDASA Software, Inc. A free LinkedIn account is required to join the group.

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April 2019 Newsletter

Video: Linking to Primavera

Check out the video below to see how to link your Milestones schedule to a Primavera XML file that you exported.

Pretty handy especially if you are trying to show a lot of information on the same row.

Note: You will need first need to export your Primavera file as an XML file before you can refresh from that XML file.

Be sure to Subscribe to our Youtube Channel for all the latest and greatest Milestones software videos!

Upgrade to Milestones Professional 2019

Click here to Upgrade to Milestones Professional 2019 for only $149 (if you already own any version of Milestones Professional). To see what has changed, check out our “What’s New in Milestones Professional 2019” page.

Upgrade to Milestones Simplicity 2019

Click here to Upgrade to Milestones Simplicity 2019 for only $55 (if you already own any version of Milestones Simplicity). To see what has changed, check out our “What’s New in Milestones Simplicity 2019” page.

April 2019 Tips and Tricks

For these and more, view Tips and Tricks for April 2019

Symbol note background
I see that I can change the background color for the symbol note. But what if I want to get rid of the background color and the frame? Is this a possibility?

Remove a single grid line
I need to get rid of (delete) the single horizontal line above “Task 2-1-2”. How can I do this?

Holiday shading
How do I shade holidays?

Move a column
How do I move a column from one side of my schedule to the other?

Duplicate items when refreshing from Microsoft Project
When updating our Milestones Professional presentation schedule, we are using a text field in Microsoft Project. Our question is, if the Microsoft Project file has two tasks with the same text “ID” then which task will the Milestones refresh program use to update the Milestones presentation schedule?

Show numbers instead of dates on a timescale
Can a time scale show numbers instead of dates? For example, can I show 1, 2, … instead of January, February, …

Can’t select picture previously added
I am having trouble removing a picture on my schedule. For some reason, I can’t select it.

Substitutable duration text
Can I show the duration of a horizontal task bar as the text for that bar? Can I add text to it? For Example [duration] working days.

Vertical milestone lines
I would like to add vertical milestone lines across all tasks. The vertical milestone line would look like the current date line, but I would be able to add several as needed. Is that possible?

For these and more, view Tips and Tricks for April 2019

Join the Milestones Professional Users LinkedIn Group

For anyone interested, there’s a free Milestones Professional user group on LinkedIn you can join to share best practices, network with other users, and maybe learn some tips along the way from other experienced Milestones users. To join, head over to the following website and click Join: https://www.linkedin.com/groups?home=&gid=6796817
Note: This user group is an unofficial group run by Milestones software users, and is not managed by KIDASA Software, Inc. A free LinkedIn account is required to join the group.

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March 2019 Newsletter

Video: Vertical Symbol Position

Check out the video below to see how to move your symbols vertically within the same row in Milestones Professional.

Pretty handy especially if you are trying to show a lot of information on the same row.

Be sure to Subscribe to our Youtube Channel for all the latest and greatest Milestones software videos!

Upgrade to Milestones Professional 2019

Click here to Upgrade to Milestones Professional 2019 for only $149 (if you already own any version of Milestones Professional). To see what has changed, check out our “What’s New in Milestones Professional 2019” page.

Upgrade to Milestones Simplicity 2019

Click here to Upgrade to Milestones Simplicity 2019 for only $55 (if you already own any version of Milestones Simplicity). To see what has changed, check out our “What’s New in Milestones Simplicity 2019” page.

March 2019 Tips and Tricks

For these and more, view Tips and Tricks for March 2019

Continuous View – Freeze the left columns and headings
I have a very large schedule (hundreds of tasks). Is there any way, like in Excel to “freeze” the columns on the left and the date headings on the top and just scroll through the schedule?

Toolbox appears very small on my high resolution screen
Is there a way to increase the size of the tool box? It is currently too small to see what symbols I need to use. I’m using a very high res monitor.

Extra thick line on schedule
I can’t figure out how to get rid of this extra thick line on my schedule. It’s apparently not a grid line and I can’t pick it.

Boxed text to annotate symbols
I am a PowerPoint user and would like to have a PowerPoint feel on my Milestones project schedule. Is there any way to make something like this appear near one of my symbols:

Attach a picture to a symbol
I would like to attach a picture to a symbol. Is this possible?

Picture gets chopped off
I don’t know why, but all of a sudden when I go to export a Picture Metafile, when I go to open that picture I only have a portion of my chart (the top left 25% roughly). I don’t think I changed any settings, but what would be causing this?

Create a visual roadmap
Is Milestones Professional compatible with Microsoft Project? Can I migrate the output from Microsoft Project over to Milestones Professional? The reason I’m asking is because I’d like to keep updating my projects in Microsoft Project, but would like to use Milestones Professional to present a visual roadmap of the project.

Change a symbol’s color
I am trying to change the fill color of a selected symbol. I have made the change in the Selection/Size/Color tab /Symbol fill color on the Override Symbol and Bar Colors section, but it will not display in the page as the new selected color. I can see that it is changed on the tab above, and on the Symbol properties page, but not in the actual chart. Please let me know what I am doing incorrectly.

Eliminate the date stamp
How can I eliminate the Date that appears near the upper right corner of the schedule?

For these and more, view Tips and Tricks for March 2019

Join the Milestones Professional Users LinkedIn Group

For anyone interested, there’s a free Milestones Professional user group on LinkedIn you can join to share best practices, network with other users, and maybe learn some tips along the way from other experienced Milestones users. To join, head over to the following website and click Join: https://www.linkedin.com/groups?home=&gid=6796817
Note: This user group is an unofficial group run by Milestones software users, and is not managed by KIDASA Software, Inc. A free LinkedIn account is required to join the group.

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January 2019 Newsletter

Video: New Cell Formatting Options

Check out the video below to see how to make cells look like they are merged, and utilize vertical text in your columns (applies to Milestones Professional 2019 and Milestones Simplicity 2019):

Be sure to Subscribe to our Youtube Channel for all the latest and greatest Milestones software videos!

Upgrade to Milestones Professional 2019

Click here to Upgrade to Milestones Professional 2019 for only $149 (if you already own any version of Milestones Professional). To see what has changed, check out our “What’s New in Milestones Professional 2019” page.

Upgrade to Milestones Simplicity 2019

Click here to Upgrade to Milestones Simplicity 2019 for only $55 (if you already own any version of Milestones Simplicity). To see what has changed, check out our “What’s New in Milestones Simplicity 2019” page.

January 2019 Tips and Tricks

For these and more, view Tips and Tricks for January 2019

Save a schedule in an earlier version’s format
I am thinking about upgrading to the latest version but there are quite a few people in my company using a past version. I occasionally need to share a schedule with them. Will I be able to save my schedules in the version that they have?

Can’t remove picture
I’ve put together a schedule that contains imported (copy-and-paste) graphics. For some reason, there is a graphic towards the top of my schedule that I can’t get rid of. I can’t even click on it. Any idea why?

Expand width of some column titles
I see some samples in version 2019 which appear to have some column entries spanning more than one column. What’s the procedure to do this?

Apply a template to a PowerPoint slide
When I use Copy All Pages to PowerPoint, the slides are coming in with one of my templates, but not the one I want.

For these and more, view Tips and Tricks for January 2019

Join the Milestones Professional Users LinkedIn Group

For anyone interested, there’s a free Milestones Professional user group on LinkedIn you can join to share best practices, network with other users, and maybe learn some tips along the way from other experienced Milestones users. To join, head over to the following website and click Join: https://www.linkedin.com/groups?home=&gid=6796817
Note: This user group is an unofficial group run by Milestones software users, and is not managed by KIDASA Software, Inc. A free LinkedIn account is required to join the group.

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October 2018 Newsletter

Upgrade to Milestones Professional 2019

Click here to Upgrade to Milestones Professional 2019 for only $149 (if you already own any version of Milestones Professional). To see what has changed, check out our “What’s New in Milestones Professional 2019” page.

Upgrade to Milestones Simplicity 2019

Click here to Upgrade to Milestones Simplicity 2019 for only $55 (if you already own any version of Milestones Simplicity). To see what has changed, check out our “What’s New in Milestones Simplicity 2019” page.

October 2018 Tips and Tricks

For these and more, view Tips and Tricks for October 2018

Add pages to the schedule
How do I add a page to my schedule?

Add tasks from Microsoft Project to an existing schedule
I have a Milestones schedule which I imported from Microsoft Project. Now, I would like to add several tasks to the schedule without re-importing. What’s the best way to do this?

Add text to a horizontal bar
I want to have text inside a horizontal bar on my schedule. Is this possible?

Add, Move, and Delete Freeform Text
Is there a way to add another header to the chart other than the title?

Copy the structure of a schedule only
Could you tell me if it is possible to copy the structure of a schedule without the data?.

Duration Values for Single Milestones
Why does a single milestone automatically have a 0-day duration instead of 1 day?

Remove the border
How can I remove the border around the schedule?

Fiscal and calendar quarters
How can I have fiscal quarters and calendar year quarters, as shown below?

Copy toolbox rows
My schedule has several different colored bars. I want to set one up in the toolbox and then copy all the settings to another row so that I can then just set the colors. Is this possible?

Make some of the date headings longer
I want to make some of the headings (monthly headings at top of chart) longer in length so I can space out the symbols for that month.

Hyperlink from schedule to document
I need to add a page of text explaining why any scheduled date has changed. Is there a way I can link “Milestones” to a “Word” document?

Create a template to use in with Microsoft Project
I want to create a single template I can use for multiple Microsoft Project files. Can I do this or do I have to have a template for each Microsoft Project file?

Copy a task row from one schedule to another
How can I copy a task row from one Milestones schedule to another?

For these and more, view Tips and Tricks for October 2018

Join the Milestones Professional Users LinkedIn Group

For anyone interested, there’s a free Milestones Professional user group on LinkedIn you can join to share best practices, network with other users, and maybe learn some tips along the way from other experienced Milestones users. To join, head over to the following website and click Join: https://www.linkedin.com/groups?home=&gid=6796817 Note: This user group is an unofficial group run by Milestones software users, and is not managed by KIDASA Software, Inc. A free LinkedIn account is required to join the group.

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September 2018 Newsletter

Video: Refresh your Milestones Schedule from MS Project

When your dates change in Project, and your Milestones schedule is linked to project, you have got to update those dates somehow.

In Milestones, that update process is called “Refreshing”. We’ve made a video showing you the process and a few of the options that go with it:

Upgrade to Milestones Professional 2017

Click here to Upgrade to Milestones Professional 2017 for only $149 (if you already own any version of Milestones Professional).

To see what has changed, check out our “What’s New in Milestones Professional 2017” page.

September 2018 Tips and Tricks

For these and more, view Tips and Tricks for September 2018

Apply a template to an existing schedule
When I apply a template to an existing schedule, the symbols and connectors do not look as I expected. What could cause this?

Shift All Dates
I have a schedule which I used last year for a project. I have a project coming up which starts in a couple of months. The project schedule will be close to identical and I would like to start with an exact copy of the schedule I used, but have it start on a future date. Is this possible?

Duplicate activity bar
I have a task in a milestone schedule that somehow has two activity bars on it. I can modify the gray bar which is the one I want, but I am unable to modify/delete the red activity bar underneath. I tried to create another task with only the one activity bar but it created dual activity bars again. Any idea why this is happening and what I can do to fix it?

Change the default save location
I would like to change the default location where charts are saved. How can I do this?

Vertical connections on a multi-page schedule
My schedule has many vertical connectors, connecting dates across pages. When I look at the connectors, it’s often challenging to determine which page they are connected to. Is there anything I can do to make this easier?

Symbol text refreshed when no tag on symbol
I’m using Milestones Professional. Many of my symbols include symbol text as part of the symbol text. Some of them do not include the symbol text tag. However, all of the symbols are getting updated, regardless of whether or not they have a tag. What could be happening?

Dependent tasks won’t move
I have vertical links between symbols on different task rows. Why won’t dependent symbols and task bars move when I move the parent task?

Shade every other task row
I want to add a background color to every other line in order to read the schedule more easily.

For these and more, view Tips and Tricks for September 2018

Join the Milestones Professional Users LinkedIn Group

For anyone interested, there’s a free Milestones Professional user group on LinkedIn you can join to share best practices, network with other users, and maybe learn some tips along the way from other experienced Milestones users.

To join, head over to the following website and click Join:
https://www.linkedin.com/groups?home=&gid=6796817

Note: This user group is an unofficial group run by Milestones software users, and is not managed by KIDASA Software, Inc. A free LinkedIn account is required to join the group.

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August 2018 Newsletter

Video: Import from MS Project with “Let the Wizard Guide You”

“Let the Wizard Guide You” is one of our MS Project importing options.
We created a video showing you how to use this process, and how to set up your own Custom Symbology:

Upgrade to Milestones Professional 2017

Click here to Upgrade to Milestones Professional 2017 for only $149 (if you already own any version of Milestones Professional).

To see what has changed, check out our “What’s New in Milestones Professional 2017” page.

August 2018 Tips and Tricks

For these and more, view Tips and Tricks for August 2018

Count of activities
Is there an activity count somewhere, tracking milestones and/or discrete activities added to the schedule?

See information about a symbol when hovering
How can I turn on the information for a symbol?  I used to see it but now when I hover the mouse near a symbol nothing appears.

Erase blue boxes around symbol descriptions
I cannot figure out how to erase the blue box around the task descriptions that are imported from MS Project.

Refresh a Milestones Professional schedule from several Microsoft Project schedules
I want to create a Milestones Professional schedule and refresh it from several Microsoft Project schedules.  Is there a way to accomplish this with one refresh instead of having to refresh once for each Microsoft Project schedule?

Consecutive monthly headings
How do I get a date heading to number the months consecutively instead of starting over with month 1 after month 12?

For these and more, view Tips and Tricks for August 2018

Join the Milestones Professional Users LinkedIn Group

For anyone interested, there’s a free Milestones Professional user group on LinkedIn you can join to share best practices, network with other users, and maybe learn some tips along the way from other experienced Milestones users.

To join, head over to the following website and click Join:
https://www.linkedin.com/groups?home=&gid=6796817

Note: This user group is an unofficial group run by Milestones software users, and is not managed by KIDASA Software, Inc. A free LinkedIn account is required to join the group.

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July 2018 Newsletter

Video: Set up a Stoplight Column

Check out the video below to find out how to add and customize a Stoplight Column inside Milestones Professional.

See how easy it is below:

Upgrade to Milestones Professional 2017

Click here to Upgrade to Milestones Professional 2017 for only $149 (if you already own any version of Milestones Professional).

To see what has changed, check out our “What’s New in Milestones Professional 2017” page.

July 2018 Tips and Tricks

For these and more, view Tips and Tricks for July 2018

Why are summary bars not showing
Why aren’t my summary bars showing up?

Why are some symbols not filled
Why are some of the symbols and connectors on my chart filled in while others are not?

Symbol ValueSet values not adding up
I am using type 4 (symbol) ValueSet and displaying a total in a DataGraph on the last page. For some reason, the total appears to be wrong.

Add a stoplight column
What is the easiest way to add a stoplight column to my schedule? I want to control the color of the stoplight for each task.

Separate projects visually on a schedule
I am showing several projects on one chart. I need some ideas for separating them visually.

Change the date range for a single page on the schedule
After inserting the second page, how do you change the date headings on it without changing the first page?

Locked Symbols
I have attached a chart that I created in Milestones Professional. This is a chart that is used for a lot of briefings for the government. Unfortunately my engineer and I opened it to make some changes and if you try a lot of the bars are locked and I cannot change the links or delete.

Copy a column of text from Milestones to Excel
I’m seeking help on how to export a column of text (Task Names) from Milestones Professional to Microsoft Excel.

Show only the month with the symbol
How can I make the symbol date show only the month?

For these and more, view Tips and Tricks for July 2018

Join the Milestones Professional Users LinkedIn Group

For anyone interested, there’s a free Milestones Professional user group on LinkedIn you can join to share best practices, network with other users, and maybe learn some tips along the way from other experienced Milestones users.

To join, head over to the following website and click Join:
https://www.linkedin.com/groups?home=&gid=6796817

Note: This user group is an unofficial group run by Milestones software users, and is not managed by KIDASA Software, Inc. A free LinkedIn account is required to join the group.

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June 2018 Newsletter

Video: Flag and Filter your MS Project file!

You probably don’t want to import your entire MS Project file into Milestones, especially if you have thousands of tasks!

Our new video shows you a few different methods to limit which tasks get imported, to make your life easier:

Upgrade to Milestones Professional 2017

Click here to Upgrade to Milestones Professional 2017 for only $149 (if you already own any version of Milestones Professional).

To see what has changed, check out our “What’s New in Milestones Professional 2017” page.

June 2018 Tips and Tricks

For these and more, view Tips and Tricks for June 2018

Moving a master schedule
I have moved a master schedule and its slaves to a different folder on my PC. How do I get it to update the links for the slave schedules so that the point to the new folder I’ve moved them too?

Show date headings at both the top and bottom of the schedule
Is it possible to display the date headings below the schedule?

Angled symbol text
How can I show some of my text at an angle so I can get more information onto my crowded schedule?

Copy all pages to PowerPoint
How can I copy my multi-page schedule into PowerPoint without pasting one page at a time?.

Autosave to protect files From system and software crashes
If my computer or software crashes or reboots while I’m saving a Milestones schedule, how can I recover the file?.

No numbers below DataGraph
I have two data graphs on my chart. Since my timeline covers about 2 years, the data table associated with the graph is not legible. I would like to have only the graph with no data table. From what I can tell, the only options I have are Data Above the Graph or Data Below the Graph. However, I want to leave out the numbers entirely.

Using substitutable text strings and default symbol text
I’m making a “no-columns” presentation schedule. Is there an easy way to attach my task names as symbol text?

Earned value columns
I need to use Earned Value in my Milestones schedule, but I’m not sure what each column means or how it calculates information. Can you help me with this information?

Rolled up symbol to show up on summary bar
How can I get one of the symbols on a lower outline level to show up on my summary bar?

Adding links on crowded schedules
My schedule is very crowded and I often have trouble selecting symbols due to their closeness. Because of this, It’s very difficult to add vertical links between two symbols. Any suggestions?

For these and more, view Tips and Tricks for June 2018

Join the Milestones Professional Users LinkedIn Group

For anyone interested, there’s a free Milestones Professional user group on LinkedIn you can join to share best practices, network with other users, and maybe learn some tips along the way from other experienced Milestones users.

To join, head over to the following website and click Join:
https://www.linkedin.com/groups?home=&gid=6796817

Note: This user group is an unofficial group run by Milestones software users, and is not managed by KIDASA Software, Inc. A free LinkedIn account is required to join the group.

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